Frugal Canadians Don't Give Mom and Dad Their Due

RetailMeNot.ca survey reveals nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) of Canadians feel Mother's Day is more celebrated than Father's Day

TORONTO, April 30, 2015 /CNW/ -- May and June are the designated months to celebrate parents in Canada, yet a new survey by digital offers site RetailMeNot.ca reveals that many Canadians may need a boost to get in the giving mood. Nearly one in three (31 per cent) are not planning on getting a gift for their dad this Father's Day, and 21 per cent will not be purchasing a Mother's Day gift for their mom. The in-laws get even less love during this time of the year, with more than half of Canadians claiming to spend more on their own mother (59 per cent) or father (56 per cent) than they would on their mother- and father-in-law, respectively.

"When it comes to celebrating Mom and Dad, a thoughtful gift does not have to be expensive—in fact, no one needs to know what you spent to get that perfect gift," says Kristen Nelson, communications manager for RetailMeNot, Inc. "With flowers being a top gift for moms, searching for coupons for floral delivery services can turn a thoughtful gift into an economical one as well."

Canadians who plan on celebrating their moms this Mother's Day are thinking very practically, with 50 per cent agreeing that moms tend to receive items they need—not items they want. Practical gifts aren't saving Canadians any dough, however, as Mother's Day gifting tends to take a larger bite out of the wallet, with 48 per cent of Canadians agreeing that they spend more on Mother's Day gifts vs. only 37 per cent saying they spend more on Father's Day gifts. Nearly half (48 per cent) would spend more on their moms to ensure the gift is perfect. But regardless of whose day it is, only 10 per cent of Canadians look for discounted items in order to further stretch their dollars.

Canadians believe it is the thought that counts for both Mom (85 per cent) and Dad (76 per cent), but dads may feel a little more neglected because nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) of Canadians agree that Mother's Day is more celebrated than Father's Day. If dads want a big celebration this year, it's time for them to pipe up: 40 per cent of Canadians say that Father's Day is not a big deal in their family.

Dads shopping for their wives on Mother's Day tend to need a helping hand, with 58 per cent of parents believing dads will enlist their children to pick out that perfect present for mom. This year, 27 per cent of men will be reaching for the classic bouquet of flowers for the mom in their lives, spending an average of $59. In return, dads may be revving up with some power tools come mid-June, as nearly one-third of the country (32 per cent) agrees that this is a popular choice for Father's Day. Canadians who will buy their parents a gift for Mother's and Father's Day plan to spend a total average of $107.

Other survey findings include:

• Dutiful Daughters: Most Canadians agree daughters tend to make a bigger deal out of both Mother's Day (49 per cent) and Father's Day (43 per cent) than sons, with 27 per cent and 22 per cent respectively;
• British Columbia Hearts Dad: On average, British Columbia residents spend more ($59) on gifts for Dad than the rest of the country;
• Creative Gifting: 64 per cent of Canadians agree people are typically more creative with gifts for Mother's Day than Father's Day;
• Gift Card Giving: Nearly one-third of the country (31 per cent) believes a gift card is an acceptable gift for Mom;
• Forget-Me-Not: The survey also reveals that 33 per cent of moms and 27 per cent of dads would be upset if their special day were forgotten.

About the survey:
From April 15 to April 16, 2015, an online survey was conducted among 1,536 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Angus Reid Forum panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 2.5%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted according to education, age, gender and region (and in Quebec, language) Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of Canada. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

About RetailMeNot, Inc.
RetailMeNot, Inc. (http://www.retailmenot.com/corp/) operates the world's largest marketplace for digital offers. The company enables consumers across the globe to find hundreds of thousands of digital offers for their favorite retailers and brands. During the 12 months ended December 31, 2014, RetailMeNot, Inc. experienced nearly 700 million visits to its websites, and during the three months ended December 31, 2014, monthly mobile unique visitors totaled 21.2 million. In 2014, RetailMeNot, Inc. estimates $4.4 billion in paid retailer sales were attributable to consumer traffic from digital offers in its marketplace. The RetailMeNot, Inc. portfolio includes RetailMeNot.com, the largest digital offer marketplace in the United States; RetailMeNot.ca in Canada; VoucherCodes.co.uk, the largest digital offers marketplace in the United Kingdom; Deals.com in Germany; Actiepagina.nl, a leading digital offers site in the Netherlands; Bons-de-Reduction.com and Ma-Reduc.com, leading digital offers sites in France; Poulpeo.com, a leading digital offers site with cash back in France; and Deals2Buy.com, a leading digital offers site in North America. RetailMeNot, Inc. is listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol "SALE." Investors interested in learning more about the company can visit http://investor.retailmenot.com.

For interview requests or more information, please contact:

Erin Banting
Citizen Relations
416 934 8422 office
416 414 8637 mobile
[email protected]

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SOURCE RetailMeNot, Inc.